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New form factor for the Launch Monitor

A project log for DIY Golf Launch Monitor

Launch monitor using low-cost raspberry pi and camera hardware to determine ball launch speed, angles and spin

james-pilgrimJames Pilgrim 03/23/2024 at 14:480 Comments

The absurdly long extension arm has been replaced with a more compact form factor.  The LM now has both cameras stacked vertically, and each both can be independently aimed. 

The math for location computation took a while to finish, but seems to have actually increased accuracy.  The z-axis measurements are no longer purely ball-radius based, as the ball can now be seen at an angle.  

With the ability to tilt the cameras, there is much more flexibility for where to tee the ball up versus where it will be imaged after it is hit.  Hopefully, this will allow for a greater range of ball speeds, as we can make up for slow reaction times that are currently inherent in the part of the system that senses the initial ball movement and begins the strobed imaging of the ball in flight.  For example, by placing the ball a little further back, there's more time to react to the movement of a fast-hit ball and get images of it before it flies out of the frame of the second (bottom) camera.

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